England Gets The Ones You Never Need
by gwebn
Summary: Living in the English country side is as dull as one can imagine... until an irritatingly silent bird woman literally falls from the sky. Nyo!Noreng wingtalia.
1. Chapter 1

She knew this was a mistake. She knew it was a mistake to leave her home five minutes after fleeing but it was too late to turn around now. The wind and sharp rain stung against her face. She could feel the electricity of the storm tingle in the quills of her feathers. Thunderstorms terrified her on normal days where she could watch them happen from the safety of her mountainside home... and here she is flying in one.

She had no idea how far home was from here, or even where "here" was. Her instinctual compass was thrown off by a gnawing hunger and the dizzying electrons firing and crackling in the clouds. She wiped at her face, not sure if she was clearing her vision of tears or rain. Both, she assumed, not that it made a difference.

She needed a place to land. This bird has flown too far. She searched the ground below her for a suitable place to roost but the storm gets the better of her. A bellow of wind blasts against her wings and sent her spiraling to the muddy countryside. Exhaustion makes it impossible for her to fight the storm and gravity. The last thing she remembered was hitting the ground a painful crack.


	2. Chapter 2

Rosa sighed as she pulled on her rain boots, the shiny green ones she bought in preparation for this kind of day. As ridiculous as she knew they looked, they were necessary for this life in the perpetually muddy English country side. It wasn't raining right at that second but that thunderstorm last night was a guarantee for mud. She had no doubts the rain will start again sooner or later.

She sat in silence on the stairs mentally preparing herself for the day as the old house creaked and breathed around her. The yellowed wall paper was slowly peeling its way off the walls, curling onto itself at the corners. Her wooden floors were as squeaky as they looked when she walks on them. The bucket in the corner for ceiling drip (emptied this morning) waited patiently for the next heavy rain. Her fat, aged cat snoozed comfortably in the bay window, enjoying the sun warming his shaggy orange and white fur. Christ, she wanted nothing more than to have a cigarette and climb back into bed.

Sadly, that wasn't an option. Far too many things to do today, she told herself. She rose from the steps and walked across the squeaky wood floors, not feeling any more ready to face the day than she did before she sat down.

"I know I'm trying to kick the habit, but you won't judge me for slipping up, will you, Crumpets?" She asked the cat. The Scottish fold answered in the usual way cats answer, by completely ignoring her. "If I die young, it's your fault for not stopping me from lighting up."

"You don't care as long as your bowl's full, do you, you fat sod?" Rosa asked as she pulled on her coat. She couldn't help but finger the paper box and lighter still in her pocket. The napping cat continued to be less than supportive. "Wish I could live like that. It'd make things a lot easier."

She approached the bay window to give the cat a parting scratch behind the ears when she saw a mass of mud and feathers in the grassy field not too far from her window.

"Is that-?" She leaned towards the glass to get a better look. "No- There's no way that's a bird. Could it be an-?" The word seemed too ridiculous to say out loud. Since when do angels appear as feathery heaps in fields? More so, since when do angels appear in _England_? She needed to see it for herself and make her judgements from there.

She was out the door and across the squishy field in a matter of minutes. Even from a distance, it was easy to tell whatever it was had an incredible wingspan.

"Hello?" She called out, not sure what to expect. The creature could be dead for all she knows. She approached it carefully, trying not to scare it in the event that it was still breathing.

The wings stirred ever so slightly. Rosa could hear a small pained whine from the pile of feathers. It sounded confusingly human.

"Do you need help?" She asked it. Again, the feathers moved. They were as flared out as they could be, seeing as they were covered in mud and grass. It reminded her of a canary her aunt used to have that would fluff up when it was scared or provoked by her or one of her siblings.

"Come now, sweetheart... I'm not going to hurt you." She said gently, kneeling on the ground besides the creature. The grass soaked through her tights, but she could ignore that for the time being. "You poor thing. What happened?"

The creature whined in pain again as it struggled and forced itself into a sitting position. Rosa couldn't believe it. It was an exhausted looking woman with matted blonde hair, dressed in warm looking furs and animal skins under all of those feathers. Well... a woman plus a pair of piercing blue eyes and incredibly large wings. Fully spread, they were probably at least two or three times as big as the petite woman who possessed them.

The winged woman tried to spread her wings out but shrieked when her left wing failed to straighten out. She hugged her legs to her chest and stared daggers at Rosa over her knees.

"Now, I already told you I'm not going to hurt you." Rosa said, hoping she sounded calmer than she was. She definitely didn't want to scare the bird woman now, especially when she's hurt and in possession of what looks like pitch black talons in place of fingernails.

"Can you understand me?" She asked, mentally praying to whatever power is out there that she can.

The bird woman stared... then nodded.

Relieved, she asks something else. "Can you speak?"

The bird woman nodded again.

"What's your name?"

The bird woman was silent.

"Don't be shy," She coaxed. "I already promised I wouldn't hurt you. My name is Rosa"

Still no response. Just those blue eyes glaring at her.

"Do you not want to talk to me?"

The bird woman shook her head.

"That's fine, I suppose. I talk more than most people care to listen, if you haven't noticed yet." Rosa sighed. "Do you want me to help you with that wing?"

The bird woman's eyes shot to her broken, bent wing momentarily, then back to Rosa. Something shifted in the woman's expression. Her eyes were widened in terror at seeing the damages.

"I know. It looks pretty bad, doesn't it? Your wing will need to be set and put in a splint for a few weeks but it can heal." She explains. "I can do that fairly effectively if you like. I was a nurse for years before I decided to quit. I still know my fair share."

The bird woman tilted her head slightly, as if she was debating on whether or not to trust her.

"What do you say?" Rosa asked. "I don't think you have too many options."

The bird woman sighed, knowing that what she said is true.. then nods.

"Good." she replied, standing up slowly as to not ruffled the bird woman's feathers any more than they already are. "I'll have to get you back to the house... can you walk?"

Pushing a lock of her hair away from her face, the bird woman's eyes moved to the ground and she shrugged.

"It's not a long walk." She offered her hands to help the bird woman to her feet. "I'll help you."

The bird woman bit her lip and cautiously took Rosa's soft hands with her taloned ones.

Helping the winged woman to her feet was easier than Rosa imagined. She was lighter than she looked, even with her back full of feathers. She read somewhere that birds had hollow bones that made them light enough for flight. Maybe this woman was the same way.

When the bird woman was certain she was steady enough to walk, she refused any extra help. She didn't need the extra help, it seemed. Nothing beside her wing looked to be damaged beyond a few bruises and cuts. She followed Rosa's lead to the house in quiet. Rosa tried to get something out of her with a few more questions, but to no avail. She nodded or shook her head or shrugged when she could, but refused to break her silent demeanor.

"Are you sure you can speak?" Rosa questioned again. The bird woman nodded. "So you chose to be silent." Again, she nods.

"Fine." Rosa rolled her eyes and led her into the house. "Mind your wings, dear."


	3. Chapter 3

After a quick scrub to get rid of the mud (she was fascinated with the concept of a shower. She chirped the entire time the water was turned on her.), the bird woman's broken wing was set and splinted using strips of an old bed sheet and some pieces of wood found in the basement. It was and excruciating procedure, the bird woman shrieked in pain when her bones were moved into place, but it was also a thankfully short one.

Rosa made sure she was comfortable resting on the couch when all was said and done.

The woman laid on her stomach, letting her heathy wing of a white and brown and gold calico drape gracefully off of the couch and on to the floor, while her broken one laid curled against her side. Rosa had given her some medicine for the pain that made her eyes close and fluttered open as she resisted sleep.

"Go to sleep, love. You're going to need all the rest you can get." Rosa said grabbing her car keys off of the counter. "I have to go into town to get dinner for tonight. Will you be okay alone?"

The bird woman nodded sleepily, moving her folded arms from below her chin to in front of her face.

"I won't be gone for long." Rosa promised. "What do you want for dinner? Anything in particular?"

"Fish." The woman mumbled in reply.

Not expecting an answer, Rosa almost dropped her keys in surprise. "I- well, fish it is." She laughs a little. "Maybe I'll make fish and chips. I'm sure you'll like that."

The bird woman said nothing more as Rosa left the house. She was sound asleep as her car pulled out of the garage.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rosa's phone rang as she stood in line with her basket full of tonight's dinner. She wasn't sure why. No one ever had a reason to call her.

"Rosie!" A familiar voice greeted her. "How ja holding up?"

"Holding up just fine, Gil." She sighed. She never could get him to stop calling her that. If she's anything, she certainly isn't rosy. The git must think he's being clever and ironic. "Why do you ask?"

"Luddy told me to ring you up to make sure you weren't being stabbed or kidnapped or anything. He's such a good kid, isn't he? I must have raised him right." The German voice laughed. "You haven't been stabbed or kidnapped lately, right?"

"I can't say I have." Rosa blinks, baffled as to why he would ask. "What are you on about?"

"Apparently the police got a noise complaint. They said your neighbors heard a woman screaming."

Oh right. How could she forget that screaming.

"Well, you can tell Ludwig that it wasn't me." Which was completely true. She shifted the phone to her shoulder as she loaded the conveyer belt and searched her pockets for her wallet. It was in one of them, she was sure.

"Great!" Rosa could hear that big irritating grin in his voice. "It would have sucked if you got murdered."

"Can't agree with you more." The wallet was in her jacket pocket, thrown in next to the cigarettes. "Queue's moving, I have to go pay for my groceries. I'll talk to you later. Send Ludwig my love."

"Hey before you go, are you free Satur-" Not interested in dating after her last spectacular failure of a relationship and certainly not interested in Gilbert, she hung up before he could finish his sentence.

How that man could receive so much rejection and still come back for more was beyond her.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rosa returned, the house was as quiet as ever. The loudest noise was the sound of her grocery bags rustling as she plunked them on the kitchen table.

The setting sun made the bay window dark and useless to the cat. Rosa found the fat orange sod sleeping with his nose pressed up to his food bowl, waiting for his next meal. She stroked him from his head to his stubby tail and put a handful of kibbles into the ceramic bowl.

After feeding the cat, she looked in on the bird woman. She was sound asleep with her arm and tangled platinum blonde hair over her face and her good wing still hanging off of the couch like a feathery calico blanket. Rosa let her be. There was no point bothering the poor thing right this minute. She could always ask questions that the bird woman can refuse to answer later on.

Rosa tossed her coat onto a kitchen chair, keen on getting dinner started. Though she, nor anyone else, would consider her a strong chief, frying fish was one of the dishes she could manage. It wasn't the fancy French cuisine her ex-fiancee used to cook up almost effortlessly but it was what she could do. Plus, it was a lot less expensive than ordering carry out every night.

Halfway through cooking, Rosa turned to see the bird woman watching her.

"Oh-!" She jumped, almost dropping her spatula in the bubbling oil. "A little warning next time if you will."

The bird woman said nothing, her eyes moving to the pan.

"It's fish, just like you asked." Rosa said defensively. "Unless, of course, I'm going completely mad and imagined you said that... in which case, I'm making fish and I hope for your sake you're alright with that."

The bird woman nodded. Rosa wasn't sure if it was in approval or if she was agreeing that she was going insane. She wouldn't doubt if it was both. Her eyes trailed back to Rosa's, as if she had something to ask but couldn't quite spit it out.

"Something you need, dear?" Rosa asked, setting the spatula down by the stove.

The bird woman nodded... then drew a cross on her open palm with her taloned index finger. It took Rosa a moment and a few repeats of the gesture to realize what she was asking for.

"..Oh! Er-" She searched her pockets, eventually pulling a small silver cross out of the front pocket of her jeans. It was a pin she had taken out of the woman's hair as she helped her in the shower. She had forgotten about it until now. "Is this it?"

With a smile on her thin lips, the bird woman nodded. Rosa gave it back to her, finding it strange the she pinned in onto her temple. It wasn't straight up and down like the crosses on the church she never attended or upside down like the goth kids she saw at the rock shows in her youth. It was sideways like.. which country had the sideways cross on their flag?

"Bit of an odd piece of jewelry but it's very nice on you." Rosa commented. "Someone get that for you?"

"My pappa." The bird woman said, touching the pin in her hair like she was reassuring herself it was still there.

"Your father?" Rosa replied, surprised by her sudden talkativeness. She couldn't quite place the accent from the three words she had spoken, but Rosa could tell the bird wasn't British. "That was nice of him... Did he get you that locket too?"

The smile fell off the woman's face when she reached for a locket that wasn't there. This was the second time Rosa saw panic flash in the woman's eyes today.

"It's okay!" Rosa said, trying to calm her down. "It should still be on the bathroom sink upstairs. I left it there so it wouldn't-"

She would have finished her sentence if the woman hadn't already turned and hurried toward the stairs.

"Oi! Be careful with that wing. There is no way in hell I'm setting and splinting that thing a second time." Rosa called after her, picking the spatula back up to flip the fish before it burned.

"You're so strange. I don't even know your name and I'm cooking your dinner and keeping track of your valuables." Rosa muttered to herself. " Well... I suppose I've had worse flatmates."


	5. Chapter 5 (aka Bird Puns)

Getting the bird woman to sit at the table was surprisingly easy. She sat there quietly, picking at her food with her black taloned fingers, selecting the pieces of food that fulfill a standard unknown to Rosa. Her good wing was tucked to her side, while the damaged one was rested gracefully on the linoleum floor.

Rosa studied the woman curiously. She had looked so much at her calico wings and talons, she hadn't noticed the woman's surprisingly soft facial features or the eye pleasing slight upturn of her nose. Paired with her thin build and long legs, the woman could have been a model, had she not been part avian.

Actually, slash that. She could be one of Victoria's Secret Angels. They wouldn't even have to bother slapping a pair of fake wings on her.

"You're staring." The bird woman mumbled, hiding a little behind her veil of blonde hair. Strangely enough, the gold of her hair perfectly matched the yellow patches on her wings.

"Ah- sorry…" Rosa broke her gaze by shaking her head. "I haven't had many guests lately, I must be losing my manners."

That wasn't necessarily a lie. The last person who visited her was the bloke who fixed her water heater. Rosa had been- oh, what's the word her dear sister used…- "reclusive" in the past few months. The bitter history buff in Rosa would say she's in a "splendid isolation."

The bird woman nodded in understanding, then shifted her focus back to dinner.

"What's your name?" Rosa questioned gently. She had hope that she would answer this time, the bird was a little chattier than she was when she first asked.

"Sylvi." She replied, nibbling on her piece of fried fish. Though she didn't reject the food outright, it was hard to tell if she was enjoying it or not. Her expression gave away nothing.

Rosa blinked. "Where are you from?"

"Den Store Skogen. Humans call it Norway." Sylvi said around a mouth full of deep-fried fish.

"Ah." Rosa said quietly. Considering the bird's accent, flaxen hair and the muddy Viking style furs she flew in wearing, it would make sense. "This may be just me jumping to conclusions but are you a Valkyrie?"

"Actually, yes." Sylvi smiled ever so slightly at her question. "I am not exactly one of the warrior women from the stories but yes, that is what my sisters and I chose to call ourselves."

Rosa rose a brow. "Chose?" She echoed.

"Chose." The Valkyrie munched on a fry. "My Greek friend, Cyrena, calls herself a Daughter of Eris. No one wants to settle on a universal name."

"So it's a tradition thing?" Rosa asked, curious. She racked her brain for any mentions of women with wings in the stories her mother told her as a child. She remembered imps and the fae and the unicorns that supposedly roamed Scotland and the dragons that live in Wales and the selkies of Ireland but never anything like the Valkyrie. "What do the English bird people call themselves? Angels?"

Sylvi shook her head. "They don't exist. They don't call themselves anything."

"Oh." Rosa blinked at the blunt response. Sylvi certainly didn't sugar coat things. She had to admit, it was a bit refreshing to talk to someone so to-the-point. Actually, it was nice to talk to someone at all. The Valkyrie was way closer to human company than her fat lump of a cat.

"Is that where we are?" Sylvi asked tentatively. "England?"

"You're a long way from home." Rosa nodded.

Sylvi said nothing, her downturned eyes pointed sadly at her plate.

"You said there aren't any people like you in England…" Rosa said carefully, "What are you doing here?"

"… I need to go outside." The Valkyrie stood up, still a little off balance with the splint on her wing. She stumbled a bit upon standing but determination to leave brought her grace back soon enough. "I don't like being cooped up."

"Is that a pun?" The human responded, earning an sky blue glare. "Never mind, just be careful with that-" The back door slammed closed before Rosa could finish her sentence. She wondered if she should go after her. "-Wing."

"Flighty girl." Rosa sighed and resigned herself to clearing the table. Maybe it's best to let her have a few minutes. Something told Rosa not to push the shy Valkyrie right away. With the way her wing is broken, there will be plenty of time for Rosa to get to know her. Besides… being in the middle of the nowhere that is the country side, there wasn't too far Sylvi could go.

A few hours later, the bird had not returned and Rosa had given up on waiting for her to return. Leaving the lights on and the door unlocked, she went to bed, half wondering if she'll wake up tomorrow and realize her whole yesterday was a dream.


End file.
